Also reading Duma Key- about halfway through and enjoying it so much I'm feeling a painful itch to go after a signed first that I can't afford this month after picking up the S/L of 'Transgressions'. Guess it serves me right for blowing all my powder 2 days after the paycheck arrived!

Just finished Blaze and about to start on Michael Marshall's 'The Intruders'. Liked Blaze- not as good as the excellent Duma Key, but very readable and pretty damn sad. Also liked the definite 'Bachman' feel to the book- took me back to when I first read the original Bachmans as a kid. The Regulators was great, but it wasn't a Bachman book for me. Blaze, on the other hand fits right in with the first four- bleak, realistic and gripping.

Reading MATTER by Iain M Banks ,really good . Then i am going to try Lucys Monster by R L Royle . Then i have a book by Dean Vincent Carter ,The hand of the Devil ,this guy is billed as the next King [could be the KISS OF DEATH for Dean ] but i shall give it a go.
I am really looking forward to reading The cat from hell which is in the new collection [Just past sunset] ,this sounds like it could be as hilarious as Survivor type , remember that anybody? the chase over the rocks to catch the gull ,absolutely priceless .

I've actually lost count of the number of times I've read Lord of the Rings. (Don't forget--I'm one of those old guys, though. I first read it back in 1965, when the first paperback edition hit the stands.) It had been a while since I had read it and really enjoyed the last reread.